Alone
by Wherever Girl
Summary: When she needed him most, that's when he had to go away. A one-shot about the last time Brielle saw Lamone. *pre-MIF*


Alright, here's another one-shot I've come up with… gonna be a little on the 'sad' side, considering I just watched clips from the first 'Land Before Time' movie and involves a dark plot, taking place years before the events of the MIF series. I'm not too good with the deep-emotion stuff, but you may want to keep a tissue by just in case.

Disclaimer: I only own my OC.

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"…_One sister, two parents, none of them survived. She was the only one who managed to get away,"_

"_Poor thing… does she have any relatives who can claim her?"_

"_I'm afraid not. From what our sources show, the entire Shereba family is deceased. If there were any living relatives, they're probably too distant to reach."_

"_Such an awful ordeal… who would do such a thing?"_

"_We don't know, but we have reason to believe the body guard might have had something to do with it. We never found his body, and he's nowhere to be found… though from the description the girl gave us, he isn't quite a match, but we're still looking for him. His disappearance is quite suspicious. …Right now, until further notice, the girl is to stay here, for a new family to claim. The fortune is to become hers when she's eighteen,"_

"_We'll make sure she finds a good home, officer."_

Brielle sniffled. She didn't want a new family… she wanted the one she already had. But she knew it wasn't going to happen- even at age five she knew that her mother, father, and sister were gone, and weren't coming back. She sat on her bed in the room, where a few other orphaned girls lay asleep, looking out at the clear starry sky… but such a sight didn't lift her spirits, the vast, endless sky serving only as a reminder that she was alone.

She wanted to cry, but she had already spent the previous night balling her eyes out. When she awoke that morning, she was hoping it was only a nightmare, that she only dreamed a masked man had broken in and shot her parents and slit her sister's throat, and that she would be in her own bed in her own home, where her family would be waiting for her to wake up, and then she and her sister would play in the backyard… but when she realized she was still on a bench at the police station, her hopes shattered. _So it wasn't a dream… my family is dead. _she thought, sniffling, but had cried her eyes dry already and couldn't bring forth another tear.

Her eyes stayed dry the rest of the day, when the police had driven her to another town to an orphanage- clear away from her home- where she was to wait for someone to adopt her, to replace her old family. They stayed dry as a few of the other girls tried to get her to play, or show her around, or share some snacks with her… but their efforts were in vain, and they decided to leave her be, letting her stay downhearted.

When night came, she could not sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw blood splattered everywhere, her family's bodies lying on the floor, hearing the voice of the killer threatening to kill her next…

The only reason she was alive was because of Lamone.

The young man had saved her sister from a mugging one day, bringing her home. Upon learning that he was looking for work and had nowhere else to go, her parents hired him as a bodyguard for the household. She would not forget the first time they met, the way he distanced himself, or never said much, only patrolling the grounds after dark and staying up late to make sure no one but the family and himself were in the house. Once in a while, she would see him standing under a tree in the front yard, overlooking the field, lost in thought. One day, she mustered enough courage to walk up and try to have a conversation with him.

"_Lamone? What are you doing out here?" _she had asked.

"_Thinking." _was his reply.

"_What about?"_

"_Nothing you should concern yourself about,"_

"_What does that mean?"_

"_It means none of your business."_

"_Okay. …Daddy says you must have a lot on your mind, because you come out here and get lost in thought a lot."_

"_I like to clear my head. It's easier to do when it's quiet."_

"_Okay. …Want to come into the backyard and swing on the tire swing with me? It's really quiet back there."_

He gave her a look, and peering into his dark eyes startled her a bit, giving her a sudden sense that he was slightly annoyed.

"_If you don't want to, it's okay… if you want to be alone, I'll go away now." _

She had began walking away, until she noticed him walking beside her. _"The backyard sounds more private," _he told her, and she relaxed a little.

Brielle sighed. He had began to loosen up from that point on. Sometimes she would sit in the backyard with him and her sister and read, or take a walk across the family cemetery up to a hill to watch the sunset, or stay up late watching television. At one time or another, she noticed how comfortable he was around her sister, Emily, though she didn't quite understand why. Emily seemed quite opposite of him- always joking around, listening to rock music, or dressing in her torn jeans, short-sleeved shirts and a jean-jacket, wanting to dye her hair white next (their parents drew the line at this); whereas Lamone was always serious, preferred the solitude, and always wore a black cloak that covered his entire body, underneath it being a black shirt and black pants (her parents found this strange, but were never ones to judge by appearances).

And of course, there was always something odd about him- how he moved swiftly, could hear at extreme distances, and a sharp gaze that could make even the most vicious beast back down. He never said where he was from, or spoke of his own family. _Perhaps… he's an orphan too, _Brielle thought now, and sniffled again. Thinking of her bodyguard being alone like that caused her to miss him more. In fact, the more she thought about him, the more she wished he was there now…

A hand gently grabbed her shoulder just then. "It's just me," came a familiar voice when she flinched.

She turned around. "L-Lamone?" she gasped. "LAMO-"

He clapped a hand over her mouth, shushing her. "Not so loud, you'll wake the whole building." he then grabbed her hand. "Come. Lets take a walk,"

They walked past the other beds full of girls deep in slumber, down a dark hallway and down a set of stairs, towards the door. One thing Brielle noticed was how- while her footsteps caused boards to creak or groan- his footsteps were silent… in fact, he didn't even appear to be walking, more like 'slinking' along the floor. She also wondered how he managed to get into the building without being spotted by one of the women on watch… but after what she had been through, she didn't care.

Once they were outside and down the block, he stopped and turned to her. Before he could open his mouth to speak, she leaped forward and hugged him tight. "I thought I'd never see you again," she whispered, her voice shaking. "I was worried you were gone forever…"

He held her for a minute or two, silent. Clearing his throat, he set her down. "Lets take a walk… there's something I need to tell you," he said, solemnly.

Brielle held onto his hand, a hint of joy reforming within her. She had thought she lost Lamone, after he had attacked the killer last night, both of them falling out a window… but here they were, walking side-by-side. Nothing in the world mattered more than the fact that, after the tragedy of last night, she still had someone with her. Perhaps he would even adopt her- she wouldn't mind that, he felt like a second-father to her since she met him, always looking out for the family and being at her side whenever she got hurt, scolding her whenever she did something wrong and always there to help out with any problem.

She paused just then. "Lamone, my chest feels funny…" she said.

"How so?" he asked.

"It feels like something is squeezing my heart… is that bad?"

Lamone shook his head. "No… that only means that someone, somewhere, is calling out for you. All you have to do is close your eyes, and open your heart," he then turned. "Lets go this way,"

Brielle scratched her head, not quite understanding, but followed him.

They were walking through a small forest, a lake shimmering under the moonlit sky, reflecting its light off its surface. The orphanage was no longer in sight, and she began to feel tense. Why was Lamone bringing her clear out here? She was worried at first that the killer would show up, or that Lamone would disappear and she would be alone… she calmed down when he stopped, sitting down.

"Brielle… do you remember that time you came out and talked to me, asking me what I was thinking about?" Lamone asked, looking out at the lake.

Brielle sat down next to him. "Yeah, and then we went in the backyard and you pushed me on the tire swing…" she answered, smiling.

"Yes, well… I want to tell you what I was thinking about. I was thinking about… my family."

Brielle cocked her head. So he did have a family! "How come you never told us about them?"

He sighed. "I… don't like to bring them up. You see, a long time ago, I lost someone dear to me- my brother, and a friend of his. That's when I started to travel, to try and move on with my life. Along the way, I… I ran into some troubling men, one of them used to be a friend of mine. They did horrible things, and I didn't like it- and they didn't like me either."

Her smile faded. Why was he telling her this?

"I ran away from them… but somehow, they always managed to find me. They want to hurt me, and anyone I'm with. …That's why I never talk about my family, and always travel, so they never know who to hurt, and so I can lead them away from the ones I love. You see, I have to protect them, by not being around them."

She began to wince. She didn't like what he was saying. "Lamone… you won't leave me, will you?" she asked weakly.

He let out a heavy sigh, then turned and looked at her. "Brielle, look into my eyes. I need you to forget you ever met me. You will not know my name, nor remember my face. You will live your life, with no memory of me whatsoever…"

Brielle stared at him, though dared not look into his eyes- she was always afraid to make eye-contact with him, as if he would put her in a trance. Instead she just wondered deep into her own thoughts. _Why does he want me to forget him? I don't want to forget him- I don't care how dangerous those bad guys are, I want to stay with him! I don't want to lose anyone else! _she was crying in her head.

"When I snap my fingers, you will fall asleep, and when you awake, you will have forgotten me."

The feeling in her chest tightened, and she fought back tears. When he snapped his fingers, she pretended to dose off, leaning against him. She felt him pick her up and carry her, and she resisted the urge to hold him tight, so not to risk him finding out she was faking.

"I didn't want to do this again…" she could hear him whisper to himself. "I thought that, for once, I could live a normal life, that they had forgotten about me, believing I were dead… but somehow they found me, and now they've taken three more lives. He won't stop until he's got me too…" he held her tight. "I'm sorry… I promise he won't get you, though. That I swear,"

That's the last time she heard his voice, and minutes later he lied her in bed. She opened her eyes, but he was gone… as if she dreamed the whole thing. But she knew he had been there, to walk with her, talk with her, be with her… one last time. The one person she had left to rely on, the last one she cared about, was now gone… just like the rest of her family.

She looked out her window, biting her lip, tears welling up inside her eyes as she began to cry once more. Bitterness filled up within her as she clenched her fists. So he wanted her to forget him? So be it. She cleared her head of him- his voice, his face, everything- vowing to never think of the one who abandoned her when she needed him most. Yet, deep down, she knew it was because he wanted to protect her, so she would not end up like her family… but the sorrow she felt would not let her forgive him.

The feeling in her chest was almost painful now, and she lied down, closing her eyes, and opening her heart. She drifted into a dreamless sleep afterwards, only one thought appearing in her mind…

_I'm alone._

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A/N: Review.


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